University of Hawaiʻi
View of Kaʻala bog from the Hawaiʻi Natural Area Reserves System.
The carbon balance in peatlands worldwide may shift from a sink (absorbing carbon) to a source (releasing carbon) this century primarily due to human impacts across the tropics, according to a paper published in Nature Climate Change by a multidisciplinary team of scientists, including Dave Beilman, associate professor of geography and environment in the College of Social Sciences.
“Our findings indicate that more than 100 billion tons of carbon could be released from peatlands by 2100, which points clearly to the need for the preservation and restoration of these valuable ecosystems,” said Beilman. “And it’s not just carbon that makes these areas priceless. These wetlands are triple hot spots of carbon sequestration, biodiversity and Earth system history.”
View of Kaʻala bog from the Hawaiʻi Natural Area Reserves System.
The carbon balance in peatlands worldwide may shift from a sink (absorbing carbon) to a source (releasing carbon) this century primarily due to human impacts across the tropics, according to a paper published in
Nature Climate Change by a multidisciplinary team of scientists, including
“Our findings indicate that more than 100 billion tons of carbon could be released from peatlands by 2100, which points clearly to the need for the preservation and restoration of these valuable ecosystems,” said Beilman. “And it’s not just carbon that makes these areas priceless. These wetlands are triple hot spots of carbon sequestration, biodiversity and Earth system history.”